About the Book
Author: Jessica R. Patch
Genre: Thriller
Release date: April 23, 2024
On a remote Outer Banks island, a serial killer collects his prized specimens. And to stop him, an FBI agent must confront his own twisted past.
FBI agent Tiberius Granger has seen his share of darkness. But a new case sets him on edge. It’s not just the macabre way both victims—found posed in front of lighthouses—are tattooed with flowers that match their names. There’s also the unsettling connection to the woman Ty once loved and to the shadowy cult they both risked everything to escape.
Bexley Hemmingway’s sister has gone missing, and she’ll do anything to find her—including teaming up with Ty. That may prove a mistake, and not just because Ty doesn’t know he’s the father of her teenaged son. It seems the killer is taunting Ty, drawing everyone close to him into deeper danger.
As the slashing winds and rain of a deadly hurricane approach the coast of North Carolina, the search leads Ty and Bex to an island that hides a grisly secret. But in his quest for the truth, Ty has ignored the fact that this time, he’s not just the hunter. Every move has been orchestrated by a killer into a perfect storm of terror, and they will need all their skills to survive…
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My Review
This is not your typical cozy mystery. Patch knows how to write a character in the throes of psychological terror. She also knows how to write scenes with physical torture. She especially captures the harm of being in a religious cult and the destructive after effects. It's not a book I'd read right before bed.
Ty was a hard character for me to like and find engaging. He had quite a chip on his shoulder and was angry and bitter. It was good to see the character changer power of right belief so ultimately there is a good faith message. Patch does give Ty a solid emotional reason to find the villain. The villain is really creepy and commits some pretty strange acts. Having seen some episodes of Criminal Minds, people who like that television show would like this novel.
Patch's writing style is good and she can create graphic scenes with intense emotions. She also creates some good character interaction, snarky or sarcastic. One aspect of her writing I felt was a bit unusual, the narrator (not a character) calling one's mouth a “pie hole.” Perhaps it is just a southern thing this northern reader found unsettling.
This is a sequel as there are several references to earlier life changing events. It is the first one in the series I have read. It did read pretty well on its own but I feel I would have understood the characters better had I read the previous books in this series.
My rating: 4/5 stars.
About the Author
Jessica loves to encourage and inspire people to forward living devotionals through her monthly email newsletter. You’re invited to join the Patched In community at her website: www.jessicarpatch.com and receive a FREE short thriller, Nobody Has to Know.
She resides in the Memphis area with her husband and her spoiled tri-color Shetland Sheepdog since becoming empty nesters. Jessica is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary Management.
More from Jessica
Does Dark Subject Matter Belong in Inspirational Thrillers?
Spoil alert! Yes.
I am often asked why I write thrillers with darker subject matter and should I? My answer is easy and it’s biblical.
In the Bible, you’ll find all sorts of twisted, dark subject matter. Simply read the book of Judges. God didn’t sanitize the Bible or the people, which include sexual immorality, murder, gruesome violence against women and even cannibalism and child sacrifice (you won’t find child sacrifice in my books, so rest assured). He didn’t approve of these things nor did He condone them, but He also didn’t edit it out for easy reading pleasure. It was important to reveal the dark human condition and what happens apart from God; many heinous things were perpetrated by God’s people as they edged away from their faith into disobedience.
Reading this darker subject matter is hopeful because it reminds us of who we, too, can become apart from God actively in our lives and that God can still accomplish His redemptive purposes in the midst of that darkness. Light shines and is a beacon of hope. Of salvation.
So I don’t shy away from the underbelly of humanity whether it’s through an unbeliever or a believer who has run off the rails and needs brought to repentance and restoration. Light always shines in my books—God rescues, redeems, reconciles and redirects. I’m willing to go there in my stories because I know that it doesn’t stay dark. It doesn’t stay hopeless because we are never without hope.
In The Garden Girls, I wanted to explore that darkness but not with pointy horns and pitchforks. I think we all run from blatant evil that isn’t hiding or masking itself. But what about when evil masquerades as an angel of light? What about when it’s charming, smells good, offers pleasure, and seems harmless? Like a shiny lure that is attractive but when bitten, hooks and binds the unsuspecting victim. Biblical principles and truths weave through the story and in at the heart, it’s a redemptive story. One that takes hurricane force to bring a man to Truth, and choice to bow his heart and yield to sacrificial love.
Blog Stops
Book Looks by Lisa, September 5
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, September 6
Inspired by Fiction, September 7
Stories By Gina, September 8 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 8
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, September 9
Texas Book-aholic, September 10
Locks, Hooks and Books, September 11
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 12
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, September 13
Simple Harvest Reads, September 14 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Blogging With Carol , September 15
For Him and My Family, September 16
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, September 16
Holly’s Book Corner, September 17
Just Your Average reviews, September 18
(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)
2 comments:
Thank you for the review
Sounds like a great read! I am looking forward to reading it soon!
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